The mist surrounded her.

The world had turned into a silent, cold place.

Sight, sound, warmth - they were all foreign elements inside of the fog.

She felt lethargic. Tired. Like even walking would be a herculean task. She could just rest...

But she wouldn't.

Riley pushed her fingers into her side. Right there were her kidneys... and on top of them...

She jabbed herself in just the right way to have her adrenal gland on her right side release the chemicals she'd modified it to store. It wasn't as good as a syringe of it, and it would take time for it to replenish...

...but it did the job.

Besides, it was a pretty weak sedative effect anyways. She had felt tired, not sleepy. While it might be more difficult for people to move about within the fog - they'd still be able to fight. Similarly, muffling the sound and obscuring sight made doing things harder, not impossible.

The cape, no that wasn't the right term. Magic user? Except this might be 'magic' or it might be a 'skill'.

She frowned. It was important to be precise with your words - especially in her own head.

The person who'd made this fog could probably exclude people from its negative effects. It would be safest to operate under that assumption.

Riley sat in Badgy's claws and took deep breaths. In fact, she was getting used to the fog's sensation. The adrenaline was probably over-kill.

Would Luan, the Minotaur, the Centauress, and the Lizardgirl be okay inside of the... cesspool?

Hmmm...

They were probably safer there then out in the street. A squadron of Dullahans marched past her towards the dock, only for... knights on horseback? to charge them?

Could the fog have a hallucinogenic aspect to it that she'd missed?

"Malleable." She whispered causing her suit to flow up and over her head.

She felt calm. Rational. And she still saw the knights.

"Huh." Well, that was that. "Malleable." Her helmet flowed away as the battle briefly raged around her. Even with his girth, the combatants fought around Badgy - as if they couldn't tell that he was there, but that it was natural to avoid crashing into him.

Nice.

The Dullahans retreated, leaving behind a number of them that were left bruised and battered. Whomever these knights were, they were also 'playing' with wooden staves and blunted blades.

Riley let them pass her by - grateful that they seemed to be burning away the mist with some sort of magic. She waited until they were out of sight before hopping out of Badgy's claws.

"Hey." She whispered down the toilet. "It's safe to come out."

No one replied back to her.

Riley grunted in annoyance and heaved the wooden structure up. There wasn't much light, but her eyes could make out the cesspit just fine. No movement. No body heat. No bodies.

She frowned.

The tunnel sloped downward, and there were other outhouses close by. It had to be a communal pit. The Minotaur must've fled out a different way!

She stomped her foot and let the covering fall back down.


Pinky continued to sneak into Daquin.

She, perhaps, didn't get very far in comparison to others. It wasn't entirely her fault. Fraerlings were small. She had to move through an environment crafted for people that were several hundred times her size. Even if she had a smooth path to follow, she could only run so fast.

Sure, she was fast for her size. Pinky could probably give any City Runner a good race... if they were also less than a foot tall.

When you took in her sneaking speed, and the constant side tracks to try and figure out just who or what was spying on her? It was an admirable pace, all things considered.

That said, she still hadn't gone far enough into the city to see either all the spectators looking out into the street, or the [Cold Iron Mist] that was billowing out of the town square. Everyone that lived at the edges of the city had sheltered closer to try and catch a glimpse of the action. The only people that had remained had been mercenaries and adventuring parties Nier's students had hired to help them win.

So, the place was virtually deserted... at least for another block.

Why then, was there something following and spying on her?

It certainly wasn't a cat or any other deadly monster - most of them had been brought inside to avoid the game. A lesser vermin could've been an option. A mouse, rat, or other non-predator might be hiding from the change in the weather. To them, a Fraerling wouldn't have been overlooked due to her size.

But, finding something like that wouldn't be 'Foolish'.

It might have been fool-hardy, perhaps, to go and annoy something that was close to your size and trigger a flight-or-fight response, but that wasn't the same flavor of 'Foolish' that she was sensing. And Pinky was certainly one of the most adept people in the world when it came to discerning subtle types of 'Foolishness'.

Besides, no common rodent would be able to... teleport? Scry? Hide their presence?

Huh. Pinky considered that as she crept along. There were Dullahans around. They liked to do things with their heads, right? Could they use their heads as Fraerling-sized spies? Well, one of their heads would be much bigger than a Fraerling, especially with their helmets, but the point remained.

That... would explain the 'Foolish' sensation.

"Hey, Lars." She whispered. "Can Dullahans... move their heads remotely?"

'How should I know that?' He retorted.

"Didn't you learn this kind of stuff when you were a ghost?"

'I mostly hung out with Fraerling ghosts.' He crossed his arms and looked at her sideways. 'It was still a long, boring hike to get to where the Tallfolk ghosts hung out.'

"And?"

'And, yeah, I was bored enough after a while to make the trip.' He rolled his eyes. 'But they were all Lizardpeople and Humans. The Dullahans ghosts were probably up North along with the living ones.'

"Oh." So much for her know-it-all friend.

Pinky continued deeper into the Tallfolk city. She could hear shouting and cheering coming from further ahead. Whatever was happening seemed to have some onlookers.

Then... the sounds became more alarmed before fading away.

'That doesn't sound good.' Lars helpfully said from beside her.

"Yeah." She mumbled and tried to discern just how 'Foolish' it would be to sprint forward and get a look.

'I'll take a look!' Lars puffed his chest out and started climbing a wagon-shaped mountain. It was odd that he could interact with physical things - even if it was only just to stand on them. He could pass through them as well, but, she supposed, falling through the ground would just be dumb.

Her sense of unease was growing as more and more voices were silenced. Whatever was coming was moving far too fast for her to outrun. She also felt like trying to do that was the wrong type of 'Foolish' - the type that ended up with her squished underfoot of some Tallfolk who didn't bother to look down.

'Quick, Took!' Lars jumped down next to her. 'Take out your weather charm!'

"My what?" She looked at him strangely.

'The thing attached to your house! The climate control enchantment!' He peeked down the street. 'Hurry!'

"Okay, okay." Following his advice didn't seem 'Foolish' in the slightest, so it was probably the smart thing to do. She rummaged around her bag before pulling out her house. It was roughly the same size as her in its collapsed state.

Pinky had to reach up on her tiptoes to grasp the figurine on top that protected it from the elements, but it came off easily enough. She then promptly dropped it as it expanded to be the size of her head.

Ow.

She hopped up and down while clasping her foot.

That hurt.

'Activate it!' Lars' voice was urgent. 'Hurry, Took!'

"Fine, fine." She mumbled as she limped after where it had rolled. From her new position, she had a clear line of sight down the Tallfolk street... at least as far as the dangerous-looking fog bank. "Squirrel nuts!" She swore as she bent down.

Where was that switch? This thing was supposed to...

Here!

...Nope. Not the right lever.

Here!

Pinky felt an invisible pulse of magic pass through her as a sphere solidified around her just as the fog crashed over her position.

Just as the mists started to block her view, she saw movement across the street. She didn't see exactly what it was...

But its shadow was strangely familiar...


"[Healer]! I'm a [Healer]!" Crotimu shouted at the [Knights] as the charged through the damnable mists. "Hurt me and the Titan will have your heads!"

"Apologies, my good woman." The man leading the mounted Humans smiled down at her. "We heard movement, you see, and we've been ambushed twice already."

"Hmpf." Crotimu crossed her arms and glared at him. "Let us pass then. If there's been that many fights already then we're doubtlessly needed."

"You speak truly. Our own men have been left to the wayside after suffering blows that knocked them senseless." The Human saluted her, then he and the rest of the [Knights] trotted past them, quickly being swallowed in the mist.

"Let's go." Cortimu grunted at the rest of her squad. While this might be fun and games for the rest of the Forgotten Wing company, her job was still the same. Fix people up who'd been hurt so much that a healing potion wouldn't cut it.

Sure enough, they found Terandrian [Knights] along the side of the roads. The first couple were pretty much what she'd expected. Battered, bruised, but mostly okay. It took some work to knock out a person in full armor - but that went both ways.

Besides, armor didn't keep your insides from getting battered.

"Crotium, ma'am! It's strange." A Lizardgirl [Aid Provider] came up to her. "The Human we just found... is fine."

"And?" She arched an eye-ridge. "What's strange about that?"

"Well..." Her subordinate fidgeted. "He was clearly in a fight, but he's been healed. His armor is dented and he's asleep, but [Detect Wounds] doesn't show anything except some rapidly recovering bruises."

"Creler shit." Crotium swore. "Either we got turned around in this fog, or another team strayed into our territory." She pulled out her map of Daquin. "Okay, we'll turn right at the corner up ahead and then head back towards the town square." She traced the route with her claw. "We'll make a camp here. Just past where the Terandrians have pushed the Iron Legion back."

She might not have been a [Warrior] or a [Tactician], but Crotium had been on three full campaigns under the Titan, and double that for other leaders of the Forgotten Wing Company. She understood how battles went. The advance of the [Knights] would slow down as the Dullahans repositioned themselves. It would become a more drawn out fight until something else shifted the flow of the battle.

"Tell the [Mages] to conserve their mana. I want our area to be completely free of this accursed fog when we stop and set up. After that, they'll be in charge of searching for wounded and bringing them back to us."

Her decision was met with cheers from the [Healers] and acceptance from the [Mages].

"Get your heads out of your egg sacks." Crotium growled at them. "This is still a nice and easy battlefield compared to any other! So what if there's a little mist? Do your jobs and collect your pay without risking your lives!"

The grumbling stopped, and her squadron started along the route she'd indicated.

Then, they came across another body that was unconscious, but had been healed. It was strange. Everyone, of course, had healing potions. So, finding those who'd been injured but were recovering wasn't too strange - especially if they had weaker potions, of if they'd had some serious wounds beforehand.

Rather, why would either side leave one of their own behind?

Sure, it was a game, and if one of your troops went down you weren't consigning them to death if you abandoned them. That was assuming they couldn't re-join the fight. Obviously, if they were out of healing potions, they'd be left out of the fighting.

Or, if they had life-threatening injuries, something would need to be done.

But for someone who'd be back on their feet in minutes? It made no sense.

Unless...

The mist parted from the effort of her [Mages], and Crotium saw the culprit.

A young, Human [Healer] was crouched next to a Dullahan. She'd removed his chest plate to reveal his transparent skin, which she'd cut open.

"Stop her!" Crotium shouted. She'd been wrong. This wasn't a [Healer] but a Terandrian [Assassin]! They had to-

The black-haired girl's hands blurred back and forth as she... sewed the Dullahan's wound shut. It had to be a [Skill] because she'd put a Stitchfolk to shame with her speed and the fact that the flesh left behind was blemish free.

"Stop, stop!" The head sitting on the ground next to her yelled at the [Mages] who'd rushed forward. "Bit is fixing my body!"

What?

"What?" Crotium asked as her mind tried to come to grips with another explanation. Or, she guessed, came back around to the first one. She walked up and picked up the [Soldier]'s head. "What happened?"

"We were ambushed, and my company had to retreat. I fell behind." He jerked his eyes towards his body. "Turned out that a splinter of wood from one of their lances shattering went right through my mail. I didn't feel it at the time and collapsed as we ran away."

"The bleeding was mostly internal." The small Human in the fancy dress approached them after helping the body re-don its armor and stand up. "Even if he'd gotten one of those healing potions, the blood would still have pooled inside."

"And you are?" Crotium eyed her warily. She was dressed like a [Lady], but she clearly had some healing [Skills] if not a level in [Healer].

"I'm Bit!" The girl smiled at her. "Aren't Dullahans interesting? I mean, it's such a strange way that-"

"It's nice to meet you, Bit." Crotium interrupted her. "But what are you doing here? Why is a [Lady] anywhere close to the front lines?" Even if this was a game, it was foolish of her to have gotten off the Terandrians' ships.

Crotium could already piece together the story. Bit had come along because she had some skill in treating the wounded, but what failure of a commander would let her wander off on her own?!

"I was visiting the city when all of this happened." Bit motioned around her. "So, I decided to play along!" The Human frowned. "But there were people being hurt, so it was only right that I stop and help them." Her eyes gleamed. "Plus, I get to examine other races, isn't that cool?"

"Ah." Definitely Terandrian then. It was almost entirely Humans there from what Crotium had heard. "You need to be careful around Dullahans." She handed the [Soldier]'s head back to his body. "It's easy for them to get infected without their armor. I'm not saying you didn't do a good job..." If what she said was true. Her patient seemed to be doing fine. "...But he could get sick later."

This is what you get when a civilian decides to play at healing.

Bit rolled her eyes. "He'll be fine. I was sterilized."

Sterilized? Was that related to being sanitary?

"What is that?" Crotium tilted her head.

"It's... a skill of mine. He won't get sick as long as I'm around." It looked like some of the mist gathered in her hand for a moment before dissipating with the rest of the fog.

"Hmm..." She eyed the [Lady] and pondered what to do. "So you didn't know about the game beforehand? You didn't come with the rest of the Terandrians?"

"Huh?" Bit tilted her head - mirroring Crotium's pose. "Nope! I came here by myself! The gates were locked so I snuck in."

Really?

"Most people would take locked gates as a sign to stay out." Then again, most people weren't an entitled Terandrian [Lady]. "Why did you 'sneak' in?"

"I'm looking for the Titan."

Ah. That explained it.

Crotium turned to the Dullahan. "You are out of the game. You can stay with us and recover, or go off on your own. As long as you don't fight, I don't care." She turned back to the girl. "Lady Bit, why don't you accompany us and I'll inform you of some things.

With the minor incident resolved, Crotium's squadron continued to where they'd set up. As they walked, she tried to educate the foreigner.

"The Titan gets petitions to see him every day. You can't just walk up to one of the leaders of the Forgotten Wing Company. If you really must see him, then you should arrange passage to Elvallian and make an appointment."

Crotium didn't know the exact procedure, but she was fairly certain that was how things were done.

"Really?" Bit looked up at her with wide eyes. "But I have a friend who said they could let me meet him."

"Who is your friend?" Crotium asked. "Are they in the city?"

"Yeah, but she'll be fine." Bit shrugged. "She seemed confident that the Titan would want to see her."

"I see." Crotium supposed she should report this then. It might get Lord Astoragon's attention - if it wasn't for the ongoing game. "What's the name of this friend of yours?"

"Oh, the Titan doesn't know her personally, but she's a Fraerling too."

Another Fraerling? Crotium supposed there had to be more of them out there, but she'd only ever heard of the Titan. She was about to ask for more details when she heard a groan up ahead.

"Everyone, quiet." Her voice didn't carry far in the fog, but her group shut up. Crotium closed her eyes and then pointed. "We've got wounded over there. Check them and see what needs to be done."

Her fellow Lizardfolk [Healers] scurried off down an alleyway while the rest of them stopped. Soon, one of them came up to her.

"Looks like it's two humans and two horses. All are pretty beat up. One has a broken arm and is unconscious. The other likely has internal bleeding and his hip was crushed under his horse. Both horses have limps. I think they have broken legs, but they're skittish." Armiga reported.

Crotium frowned before turning to another subordinate. "Roleis, go use [Calm Animals]. We'll take them with us to our camp." She didn't want to move them, but between that, splitting up in this fog, or having her entire squadron wait while other people needed their help - it was the simplest decision. "I hate broken bones."

"Oh?" The human was still next to her. "Are they a problem?"

What kind of question was that? "Of course they are! You can't use a potion without setting them first, and if it's more than a simple fracture it won't heal right." She had [Set Bone], but it only helped with a single break. Any more... and the person would wind up disfigured in some way.

At least broken bones generally weren't life-threatening. Internal bleeding, infections, head injuries. There were a lot of ways people could die from blunted weapons. There were bound to be casualties by the end of the day. In fact, she'd wager that at least one of the other [Healer] groups hadn't been able to save someone by now.

"I'll go patch them up then!" Bit turned and followed Roleis.

Crotium was about to call out after her, but she had already vanished into the mist. They really needed a base camp so they could drive the fog away.

Well... if Bit had some high and mighty [Lady] skills that could help treat the wounded, she wasn't going to turn down her assistance.

Crotium signaled for her subordinates to continue on. She'd worry about it later after dealing with making a place where they could see what they're doing and actually treat people!


Riley helped the two knights in bloodstained armor back to the first aid section that the grumpy Lizardwoman had set up. She was pretty sure she'd heard someone call her 'Crotium' before. That sounded like a name and not a title.

The Lizardfolk leader came up and looked at the knights. "You lot sit over there." She pointed with her finger at an area that already had dozens of other wounded occupying it. "And you..." Crotium turned to Riley. "How often can you use that skill of yours?"

"What skill?" Riley had to pause for a second to mentally switch 'skill' with 'power'.

"The one that lets you fix bones."

"Oh, that?" She shrugged. "That's easy. I can do it all day long." If she had her backpack and supplies, she could probably come up with a novel way to do it that wasn't so time consuming. Then again, she LIKED cutting people open - especially people on this world.

Dullahans were so novel! Even if you disregarded the magical connection that existed between their head and body - and to a lesser extent between their torso and limbs, they were still fascinating. They had no dermal layer. Instead their outer flesh was translucent and seemed to actually bond with their armor. They had artificial exoskeletons to replace their skin instead of providing structural support to their bodies!

Lizardfolk weren't as interesting, but there were some strange concentrations of galas muscles she'd seen that looked like they could aid in mutation.

Even the Humans weren't normal, as the galas cells weren't solely confined to their muscles. While most of them were, their skin and bones could also be enhanced. It was really helpful to see how magic interacted with a species she already knew so much about. The more experience she had and the more subjects she could examine the better!

"Really?" Crotium leaned down with a calculating look in her eyes. "We don't have funds for discretionary spending, but if you help us, I'll put in a good word with my commanding officer." She crossed her arms. "I'm not saying it will get you an audience with the Titan, but it might help."

Riley brought her hand to her chin and frowned. She didn't want to seem TOO eager. People got the wrong idea when you told them you wanted to do exploratory surgery. "Okay." She gave a firm nod, as if coming to a hard decision. "I'll do it." She then shrugged. "I was probably going to help out with the injured anyways, so this is more convenient."

"And it won't wind up with one of the groups attacking you either." Crotium smirked. Or, at least, it kinda looked like a smirk. Lizardfolk were mostly the same as Humans with their facial expressions, but it would be dumb to make assumptions.

Riley then got to work.

Humans, Dullahans, Lizardfolk, and horses. Hopefully a Centaur or a Minotaur would get hurt and come see her soon too!

...

"Oh. You're the poor fools who still haven't been caught. Do you have any damage we need to clean up?"

Riley heard Crotium talk and glanced up from her latest patient. A Lizardgirl, a Centauress, a Human and a Minotaur were at the edge of the trauma center.

Hey!

It was Luan, Venaz, and... uhm... the Lizardgirl and the Centauress.

Unfortunately... the Minotaur looked perfectly healthy. She sighed and went back to the Dullhan with a broken leg. "You know, this would be easier if you let me remove your armor."

The head that was resting on the barrel replied. "But you can do it without removing my armor, correct?"

Riley rolled her eyes. "Yes, but it will hurt."

"That is fine. I can take it."

"If you say so." Riley gripped his ankle and twisted. It was a simple fracture. Dullahan basic anatomy was close enough to Human. So, a tendon could twist against the gastrocnemius muscle and... The Dullahan screamed in pain. There. "You can drink your potion now."

Riley held the leg while the Dullahan's body uncorked a bottle and held it up to his mouth. She felt the tension in his leg slightly fade as she kept it in place. Minutes passed before she twisted his ankle back and forth.

"That... doesn't hurt." He sounded surprised.

"Of course not." She rotated his foot, just to be sure. "It's probably a few millimeters off, but the bone has set properly. You can put weight on it, but you should still abstain from physical activity for at least a week."

"I understand." The head nodded. "Thank you. You are an example to all other ladies."

Why did everyone keep calling her a lady? It was clear that lady was a class as well as a social position, and she guessed her dress was eye-catching. It must be a social convention of some sort. Riley stood up and stretched before turning to find the Minotaur.

"Threaten me, and the Titan will feed you to the worms, no matter who you are. This isn't up for debate. That goes for you. Prized students or not-" Crotium shouted at them, and Riley moved towards the commotion.

Luan, the City Rower, held up his hands and tried to defuse whatever the situation was. "No. I was just wondering — you're prohibited from fighting, but would you be willing to earn some gold?"

...

"...And that's what happened." Luan explained while Riley bent his leg at an angle to make it look like it was broken.

He'd apparently been hired by the Minotaur - and then the Centauress and the Lizardgirl to help them win the game. A troop of a hundred Dullahan was marching down on them, and Crotium had agreed to hide their group amidst the actual wounded to let them avoid detection.

"That's interesting." Riley patted him on the shoulder. "Good for you, Luan! Way to be mercenary!"

"I'm not a mercenary. And you're really good at this. I have a friend who'd love to meet someone from this... area that knows about actual-" He coughed as she popped one of her small bows from her dress in his face. "What was that for?!"

"The smell." She replied with a flat voice. "You guys stink."

"Huh?" Luan turned his head and sniffed at himself. "This isn't perfume. The smell's just gone! Where were you a hour ago?"

"Not in a cesspit." She smiled. "So... what are the odds of your Minotaur or Centaur friends getting hurt and needing medical attention?"

"You mean Venaz and Marian?" He grimaced. "Probably too high."

While they were talking, the group of Dullahans had been confronted by Crotium. They seemed to believe the group's ruse. The Dullahan leaders both wore armor that looked like it had been carved from obsidian. One of them spoke loudly. "[Geomancer], forward! Seal the street!"

One of his troops stepped forward and raised their arms. The street that Luan and his friends had come from became blocked off as a wall of stone rose up and sealed it off. The Dullahan leader then took off his head and bowed it slightly to Crotium.

As the Dullahans walked away, Luan, Venaz, Marian, and Umina sat up. The healer scowled as she walked away from the soldiers. "Well, well, well. It looks like one of you has a brain after all."

Marian got to her hooves. "More than just a brain. Brilliant idea, Luan. I knew hiring you was worth it." She had a wide smile, as did the Lizardgirl.

"Speaking of which…" The healer who'd been tending to her coughed and held out his hand.

The Centauress handed out gold to the healers while Riley looked appraisingly at the Minotaur. He had gone up to Crotium.

"How much would it cost to escort us towards the plaza? We'll triple Marian's payment."

The elderly Lizardwoman looked like she wanted to take the deal... but reluctantly shook her head. "Ah! We can't leave our area. We do have a job and lives are on the line. You're on your own after this. Good luck; hope you win. I'd love to see the Iron Vanguard get their tails tweaked."

The Minotaur nodded, and he and the Centauress and Lizardgirl began to walk away. Luan jogged after them.

Umina turned to him and beamed. "Really good idea, Luan. I wish I'd thought of it."

"Worth twenty gold coins?"

"At least!"

Marian smiled and nodded. "I'm glad I hired you. I knew my Skill was steering me the right way. If you have any other ideas, we'd love to hear them."

"Actually..." Luan turned and pointed at Riley. "She's not with the Titan's troops. You should hire her too."

Riley brightened up after hearing that. Who knew when she'd run into another Minotaur. Still... she had to play it cool and not take the first offer. She didn't actually have any currency, and it would be nice to buy some things instead of foraging and hunting for everything.

"Really?" Marian turned to her. It was interesting how the Human and Horse parts met. Riley wondered just how the spine handed such a drastic curve. Or was it segmented? Perpendicular? "Head hunter... says nothing. That's odd." Marian smiled. "But Luan has good instincts. How about it? Will you help us out for ten gold?"

"Sure!" Riley held out her hand. "My name's Bit!"

Note: Some dialogue was taken directly from the Wandering Inn.

Bios:

Crotium - A Lizardfolk [Healer] in the Forgotten Wing Company.